ARTICLES ABOUT GEORGIA BY DATE - PAGE 2

Football recruiting: Running back Shai McKenzie of Washington, Pa., committed to Virginia Tech over Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced. McKenzie, 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, is rated the No. 13 running back and No. 233 overall prospect in the senior class by 247Sports. He'll join D.J. Reid in a 2014 class that will try to revive the Hokies' struggling running game. ... Offensive lineman Jake Fieler of Fork Union Military Academy will enroll in January at Virginia, similar to Oscar Smith High standout defensive tackle Andrew Brown . Pro hockey: Admirals drop fourth in row Bruno Gervais scored the tiebreaking goal on a 5-on-3 power play 9:44 into the final period, giving the Adirondack Phantoms (13-11-0-2)

ATLANTA — Georgia State's plan was to let guard Ryan Harrow try to take over down the stretch, and Old Dominion knew it. The Monarchs just couldn't stop it. Harrow scored 10 of his game-high 33 points during the final 3:59 as the Panthers shot past Old Dominion, 79-73, on Saturday at the Sports Arena. The Monarchs led, 68-64, when Harrow, a redshirt junior who transferred from Kentucky, jump-started Georgia State's comeback with a jumper and two free throws. After forward Curtis Washington's dunk with 2:47 left gave the Panthers the lead for good, 70-69, Harrow continued breaking down Old Dominion's defense and sealed the decision with six straight free throws.

NORFOLK -- The Georgia Southern Eagles gambled that Old Dominion freshman reserve guard Jordan Baker wouldn't beat them with his jump shot. The Eagles lost that bet. Baker, a former Hampton High standout, shook off a recent slump and led the way as the Monarchs shot lights-out in the opening 20 minutes and raced past the Eagles 86-69 Saturday at the Constant Center. It was a great day all around for former Peninsula District Monarchs. Guard Aaron Bacote, a Bethel High product, scored 26 points and guard Dimitri Batten, who played for Heritage and Kecoughtan, added 13 for Old Dominion.

As memories of how last season spiraled out of control creep in again, Virginia tight end Jake McGee knows impressionable youth are being affected by all the losing going on in Charlottesville. When U.Va. hosts Georgia Tech (4-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Saturday afternoon, the Cavaliers will try to do more than just snap a four-game losing streak with an injury-depleted defense against the Yellow Jackets' potent veer option offense. Putting a stop to the losing mentality isn't just critical to the future of Coach Mike London's job status, it's also important for all the young players who are getting playing time.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - As far as record-setting efforts go, quarterback David Watford's day in Virginia's 35-25 loss to Georgia Tech was as unsatisfying as it gets. Nothing soothes the pain of habitual losing. Despite Watford setting school records with 43 completions on 61 pass attempts to go along with a career-high 376 yards, U.Va. (2-6, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) squandered his huge numbers Saturday by failing to pick up any points on five Georgia Tech turnovers. U.Va. lost its fifth consecutive game.

Virginia Tech has changed offensive coordinators. Georgia Tech has changed defensive coordinators. Both with considerable schematic shifts. Doesn't matter. In preparations for Thursday's ACC opener at Georgia Tech, Hokies quarterback Logan Thomas should have repeatedly watched video of his 2011 and '12 starts against the Yellow Jackets. Because that's the Thomas Virginia Tech needs. That's the Thomas NFL scouts liked. And that's the Thomas who has largely been absent since the fourth quarter of last season's opener versus Georgia Tech.

BLACKSBURG - When J.R. Collins reflects on all the ways he wasn't upholding his end of the bargain as a scholarship football player at Virginia Tech, he wonders about the true identity of the guy who was standing in his shoes. Who was the immature kid who never set his alarm for 6 a.m. Monday meetings and routinely oversleep? Who was the kid who would gorge himself on every morsel of food Virginia Tech put in front of him - saving food for later at night even though he wasn't hungry - until he was so out of shape he couldn't recognize the player he once was?

BLACKSBURG - As usual, the normal routine around Virginia Tech's football facilities is a little off-kilter during Georgia Tech game week, especially given the cram session the Hokies have been presented with by the schedule makers. With just five days between Saturday's 29-21 triple-overtime win against Marshall, and Virginia Tech's Atlantic Coast Conference opener Thursday night at Georgia Tech, the Hokies are scrambling to get ready for the Yellow Jackets' unconventional option offense.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Basketball ruled and enriched La'Keshia Frett Meredith's life for more than 20 years. As player and coach, at home and abroad, the game brought her recognition, fulfillment and financial security. In 2011, she downshifted. “I'd been married for two years,” said Frett Meredith, the University of Virginia's newest assistant coach, “and from my playing (days) into coaching, I'd been in that fast-paced lane and just sacrificing so much for what I wanted to do for my career.

For 2 1/2 innings, Hampton University held the lead against the No. 2 seed in the 64-team NCAA softball tournament. But in the bottom of the third, the host Florida Gators surged for four runs, and they went on to beat the Pirates 7-1 in the first round of double-elimination play in Gainesville. HU (34-25), which has won 15 of its last 19 contests, fell into an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Georgia Southern (32-29), which lost 1-0 to South Florida (44-14). Margaret Wilkins began the game by reaching second on a throwing error by Florida's shortstop, went to second on Bianca Vallejo's bunt and scored on Taylor McCoy's groundout.